Automatic loader



Patented Nov. 22, |898.

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

G. M. WHEELER.

'(Appuctipn med Feb. 3,'1698.)

AUTOHATIG LOADER, CONVEYER, AND UNL'OADER.

No. 6i4,640.

(No Model.)

No. 6|4,640. Patented Nov. 22, |898. G. M. WHEELER. AUTOMATIC LOADER, CUNVEYER, AND UNLOADER.

(Appumiun med Feb. s, 189B.)A

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

@Fam/gy NTTED STATES PATENT FFICE.

GAGE M. WHEELER, OF TACOMA, VASHINGTON.

InuTolvlAi-lo LOADER, CONVEYER, AND UNLOADER';

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 614,640, dated November 22, 1898.

Application filed February 3, 1393. Serial No. 668,977. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GAGE M. WHEELER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tacoma, in the county of Pierce and State of Washington, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Loaders, Conveyers, and Unloaders, of which the following is a specification. l

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in automatic loaders, conveyers, and unloaders, and is especially adapted for loading and unloading vessels, and has for its object to provide a simple and effective mechanism for receiving, conveying, and depositing the cargo of vessels either in package or bulk form, so as to bring about an even and continuous motion, which will avoid the enormous delays which are now occasioned by the present methods.

Vith these ends in view this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art lto which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, the construction and operation will now be described in detail, referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure l is a side elevation of an apparatus made in accordance with my improvement, portions thereof being broken away; Fig. 2, a cross-section of the unloading-platform; Fig. 3, a plan view of a portion of said platform, showing the fingers through which the carrier passes for depositing a package; Fig. 4t, a section at the line y ly, showing one of the carriers in the act of passing through the loading-platform 3 Fig. 5, an enlarged section of a portion of one of the cross-rod couplings used to support the carrier; and Fig. 6, a detail' elevation of a carrier in shape of a scoopbucket, which may be used in connection with my invention for loading and unloading coal and the like.

5o grooved rails a, b, c, and d, connected together by the cross-iron B, and this frame, as shown, has a vertical section and a horizontal section, the former adapted to pass within the hold of a vessel, while the latter leads to a warehouse or othersuitable point of deposit. Sprocket-wheels C are j ournaled on each side of the lower end of the vertical frame, while corresponding sprocket-wheels I-I are journaled at the sides of the extremity of the horizontal section and linked carrier-chains l pass over the sprocket-wheels and are guided to run substantially parallel with the sides of the frame by the small wheels J. At given intervals the chains are connected together by the cross-rods K, which support the carriers L, the latter being composed of a series of fingers journaled upon said rods, said iingers terminating in shanks,which are also connected together by the rods M. Each of these rods has mounted upon each end thereof the rolls N and O, respectively, which are adapted to travel in the grooves of the side railsof the frame, as clearly shown. These rails are so located relative to each other that when the carriers are traveling upward upon the vertical section of the frame the fingers will be held in a horizontal position, as clearly shown in Fig. l, on account of the rolls N journaling in the grooves of the rails a,while the rolls O journal in the grooves b, and when reaching the top of the vertical section the horizontal position of the fingers will be maintained by the relative position of the rails a and b, so that the carrier may travel rearward without its position being altered until reaching the unloading-platform P. At this point the rail a is deflected downward, as indicated at a', so that theroll N, following the deflection of this rail, will" swing the carrier tov the position shown indotted lines at l. After the carrier has reachedthis position the continued movement of the chain will carry it around the sprocket-wheelH, where it will assume the position shown at 2, and remains in this position through its backward movement until again passing down the vertical section of the frame to the hold of the vessel. The groove in the rail cis concentric with the axis of the sprocket-Wheel C until reaching the point 3, where it is of cam shape and passes IOO into the groove in the rail b. The result of this particular arrangement is that when the carrier passes around the sprocket-wheel C it will be brought into a horizontal position, so as to thereafter be in a position to receive a load and continue its movement through the steps just described.

A loading-platform Q is made in bracket form, as indicated in Fig. l, and adapted to be attached to the side rails of the frame by engagement with the pins R, and this platform is composed of a series of lingers S, through which the fingers of the carriers L are adapted to pass, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4. The unloading-platform P is arranged slightly below the level of the upper surface of the carriers while in their horizontal position and has formed thereon the fingers T, through which the fingers of the carriers pass just prior to said carriers being deflected downward, as before set forth, the object of which arrangement is to permit the carriers to convey the load to the platform and then elevate it thereon automatically, and it is to be noted that the unloading-platform is of suiiicient size to accommodate several workmen, whose duty it is to move the packages as deposited to the right and left, and thereafter they may be slid down suitable inclines to the iioor of the warehouse or upon trucks, as the case may be. The carrier-chains are given their traveling motion by means of a worm-wheel U, which is mounted on the same shaft with the sprocket-wheels II, and this worm-wheel in turn receives its motion from a worln V, operated by any suitable motor W, here shown as an electric motor.

From this description the operation of my improvement will be obviously as follows: The vertical section of the frame being lowered within the hold of a vessel to be unloaded until the lower end thereof is supported by the legs X coming in contact with a portion of the cargo of the vessel-say from six to seven feet below the deck--the motor is put in operation to cause the carrier-chains to travel, and thereafter packages placed upon the platform Q will be picked up by the carriers passing therethrough and elevated to the horizontal section of the frame and then conveyed to the unloading-platform, where they will be deposited, as before set forth, and this operation will be contin uous,since the carriers will each in turn pass around the sprocketwheels H and back to the hold of the vessel, again performing their function of picking up and conveying packages which have previously been placed upon the platform Q. As the surrounding cargo is discharged, that immediately beneath the apparatus may be gradually removed until the legs X rest upon the bottom of the vessel. Thus without inconvenience of rehandling the cargo the entire contents of the vessel may be elevated and deposited in the warehouse, and this continuously without interruption or congestion at any point, since the entire operations of the` apparatus are automatic, requiring no attention upon the part of the operators except the placing of the packages upon the loadingplatform and the removal of the same from the unloading-platform. It is likewise obvious that the reversed movement of the carrierchains will cause the carrier to move in the opposite direction, thus enabling a vessel to be loaded by the apparatus, in which case the packages to be conveyed thereto would be placed upon the platform P and ultimately deposited upon the platform Q, from whence they would be removed by hand.

In practice the apparatus is handled by a suitable derrick, whereby the vertical section thereof may be readily inserted wit in the hold of the vessel and raised and lowe d as desired. When the cargo of the vesselis in bulk, such as grain or coal, the buckets, (shown in Fig. 6,) which consist of the side bars Y and the scoop-section Z, are used in the place of the carriers, and when such buckets are used the loading and unloading platforms are dispensed with, since the movement of the buckets in passing around the sprocketwheels C is such as to scoop up the coal or grain, and after conveying the same to the point d the bucket will be tipped at such an angle as to dump its contents, and a suitable chute may be arranged for the reception thereof and its conveyance to the fdesired point.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is-'- l. In a conveyer, a framework comprising sides formed of longitudinally-grooved rails, sprocket-chains running substantially parallel with the sides, rods extending' between the chains, rolls on the rods running in the grooves of some of the rails, lingers journaled intermediately on said rods, guide-rods conneet= ing the rear ends of said fingers,- said rods having rolls traveling in the grooves of the other of said rails, and platforms having fingers between which the first-named fingers pass, as and for the purpose described.

2. In a conveyer, a framework comprising the sides,each formed of the two outer grooved rails and the two inner guide-rails, two series of rods arranged in pairs, each having rolls on its extremities, one series traveling in the outer grooved rails and the other series in the guide-rails, fingers connecting the rods of each pair, platforms having fingers between which the first-named fingers pass, and means for causing said rods to travel in said rails, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a frame comprising four rails on each side having grooves therein, sprocket-Wheels mounted at each end of the frame, endless chains traveling over said sprocket-wheels, a motor for causing the chains to travel, carriers pivoted to the chains, rolls carried by the carriers and adapted to travel in the IGS 'grooves of the frame, a loading-platform oonsisting of fingers through which the iingers of the carriers may pass, and an unloadingplatform having flu gers thereon through which the fingers of the carriers may pass, al1 arranged substantially as shown and described.-

In testimony whereof I have hereunto af# fixed my signature in the presence of two sub# soribing Witnesses.

GAGE M. WHEELER;

Vitnesses:

ALEXANDER REITH, F. R. WRIGHT. 

